Sweeping changes? Starting with Bryant?

Oh my. That’s not in the same area code as sane.

And yeah… others may be in better moods later, but not I. My friend has a ticket for me to the game, but I’m not going. I’m literally turning down going to this game. I already know what’s gonna happen tonight. And if it DOESN’T happen it will be so unconscionable that I would likely act rashly.

I stand by my statements. I don’t care if the Lakers rattle of 4 and a row and win this puppy. I’m done. I’ll watch on my flat-screen, but I’m not paying this league for the product they’ve given us this series.

There are a few deluded Laker fans and others who think Bryant is Jordan 2. Most people here know better. And I agree that he needs to step up in Game 3 and get to the rack and the line.

That said, your attack is over the top anti-Kobe fanboyism–I have heard it many times before. The Lakers lost in 2004 because the Pistons were better and Malone was out. They are losing now because the Celtics are outplaying them and they are having some trouble with the refs.

As to the character issues, Bryant is far from a saint, and tends to pout at times. But he is durable, competitive and tough.

Just to give a little insight to our perspective, we were you in the Hawks series, couldn’t catch a break at the line on the road. You were us in the Jazz series. I complained in the Hawks series. You probably rationalized in some fashion (like I’m doing) in the Jazz series. I think it will be a wash, with Salvatore doing game 3. Sadly, I wish we could just have the 3 best officials (there HAS to be 3 good ones) for the entire series rather than picking and choosing “matchup” officials for each game depending on the way the league wants the series to go. I don’t think its fixed, but it is manipulated by tendancies. Phew. I think you all will be in much better moods in 16 hours or so.

“Different outcomes for the leading scorers. Paul Pierce has scored 50 points on only 26 shots in the first two games while Kobe Bryant has needed 49 shots to get 54 points. Pierce’s efficiency has resulted from his patience — he hasn’t been forcing shots — and three-point shooting (7-for-8), with many of those long-range attempts coming on open looks.
Bryant, on the other hand, has had difficulty finding openings in Boston’s variation of the box-and-one defense. It seems like the Celtics have the “box” on Kobe and the “one” on everyone else instead of the other way around. Reduced mainly to being a jump shooter, Bryant is hitting only 40.8 percent from the field overall (compared to 61.5 percent for Pierce). The Celtics have to be made to pay if they are going to play that type of defense on Bryant, but the Lakers’ ball movement isn’t crisp and they are often left with little time on the shot clock to try to generate something.”

Shades of ‘04 all over again.

Bryant with his low basketball IQ simply doesn’t know how to attack when the opposing puts 1 lengthy defender on him and have 1 big sag off in zone coverage shading Bryant.

This has resulted in Kobe launching jumpers like he’s building a house with all those bricks being piled up.

Just take a look at the rate (EFFICIENCY) that Paul’s scoring at and the rate Bryant’s scoring.

Where is this supposed best player that everybody raves about?
Honestly. Kobe’s play has been very pedestrian even for him. Playing like a run-of-the-mill all-star.

What’s special about his play? What’s special about his presence on the court?

Dating back to ‘04, since Bryant’s anointing of being “top dog” on the team, the Lakers are 1 – 6 in the Finals.

1 and 6 since Bryant’s takeover as primary option.
Sad. Despicable. Disgusting.

Even Dwyane “I need a frickin’ wheelchair” Wade has climbed the mountaintop sooner than Bryant (as primary option, since I am well aware that Bryant has 3 titles he won as Shaq’s sidekick).

With much less talent, as well.

Here’s a courtside perspective of Bryant’s behavior from Curt Schilling. Schilling’s obviously not the most likeable athlete.

Schilling wrote: “From the first tip until about 4 minutes left in the game I saw and heard this guy (complain to) his teammates. Every TO he came to the bench (ticked), and a few of them he went to other guys and yelled about something they weren’t doing, or something they did wrong. No dialog (sic) about ‘hey let’s go, let’s get after it’ or whatever. He spent the better part of 3.5 quarters (ticked) off and ranting at the non-execution or lack of, of his team. Then when they made what almost was a historic run in the 4th, during a TO, he got down on the floor and basically said ‘Let’s (expletive) go, right now, right here’ or something to that affect (sic).”

Bryant complaining a lack of execution? Geez, his teammates must be thrilled when he launches 20 ft. fadeaways with 3 hands in his face.
That’s why he will never ever truly garner deep respect from other people.
Bryant doesn’t give any respect. That’s why nobody listens to him. In their minds, it’s “Here we go again, what does he want this time? Blah blah blah”.

Bryant would garner some respect if he practices what he preaches. Bryant talks a lot, but rarely walks the walk.

This is the Finals. The ultimate stage. And the supposed leader is nowhere to be found.

“Callous gun for hire” – Phil Jackson

Don’t be surprised if Buss and Company make sweeping changes if the Lakers go down 0 – 4.

It’ll even start with Bryant. Buss has never forgotten being called an idiot. It’s a symbiotic relationship he has with Bryant. Use him to get a title. But if he doesn’t lead you there, what good is he? Bryant’s using Buss because the Lakers can offer the most $ to him.

No way in hell the Lakers should sign Kobe to the max on this next contract in either ‘09 or ‘10. Knowing Buss, he’s biding his time to make a play at the pot.

And it’ll come sooner, rather than later.

-Jeffs Aho

It’s hard to keep faith when the Green men can hip check and not get called. I really think a bench player on the Lakers should just confront the C’s, start swinging just to send a statement a la Raja Bell in 2006. That, and we need to just push the ball everytime we get the rebound. We need Odom to bring the ball up and just have him try a Magic impersonation.

Sweep it at home, Lakes. Even though everybody says we have had a good season, we need the Lakers to have that arrogant attitude that thinks only a season ending with a championship can be considered “good”.

The best games in this league are the non-national regular season games that don’t really “mean” anything. The games where they just let these phenomenal athletes do their thing.

It looks like what might happen is that “East Coast” basketball makes a comeback. Where hack jobs, physical play and straight up illegal play is let slide and is called “hard-nosed” defense. This, if you can remember that far, almost ruined the league after the “Bad Boy” Pistons would foul their way to the finals. It continued to tilt the typical NBA player to be less skilled, and more thuggish (I’m painting in VERY broad strokes here). This also brought scoring down until we had a few key rule changes and then the ascendance of the Suns which put the league on course.

Some good stuff on Freedarko today as well as the last post here. There are bigger things at stake right now in the NBA than the Lakers OR the Celtics winning this series. The NBA is BLOWING it where they had an opportunity to shine.